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Vanderbilt forward Jeff Roberson (11) rests as they shoot a free throw during the second half of a NCAA men's basketball game against Missouri at Memorial Gymnasium Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018 in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Vanderbilt forward Jeff Roberson (11) shoots over the Missouri defense during the second half of a NCAA men's basketball game at Memorial Gymnasium Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018 in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Vanderbilt guard Riley LaChance (13) is mobbed by teammates Jeff Roberson (11) and Payton Willis, right, after LaChance hit the winning 3-point basket against Mississippi State in the final second on Feb. 14, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. Vanderbilt won 81-80.
Mark Humphrey, AP

Vanderbilt forward Jeff Roberson (11) passes the ball off to a teammate during Tennessee's home basketball game against Vanderbilt at Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel

Vanderbilt forward Jeff Roberson (11) hooks a shot over Northwestern forward Gavin Skelly (44) during the first half of an NCAA Tournament first-round game on March 16, 2017, in Salt Lake City.
George Frey, AP

Vanderbilt Commodores forward Jeff Roberson (11) goes up to get a rebound in the second half against Florida in the 2017 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena Friday, March 10, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Vanderbilt forward Jeff Roberson (11) drives in a dunk during the second half of their game against Florida in the 2017 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena Friday, March 10, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Vanderbilt Commodores forward Jeff Roberson (11) goes high to pass in the first half against Texas A&M in the 2017 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena Thursday, March 9, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Members of Vanderbilt basketball player Jeff Roberson's family pose after a 77-48 win over Mississippi State on Feb. 25, 2017. Roberson (second from left) had a career-high 23 points.
Adam Sparks/The Tennessean

Tennessee forward Armani Moore (4) runs up against Vanderbilt forward Jeff Roberson (11) during the first half of their game in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena Thursday March 10, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean

SEC home opener Tuesday

Will the Commodores (5-8, 0-1 SEC) stick to that small lineup in Tuesday’s home game (6 p.m., SEC Network) against Alabama (9-4, 1-0)? That’s hard to say because their lineup seems to be in trial-and-error mode.

“It might be game to game,” Drew said. “It might change over the course of a game.”

Twice in the first half against Florida, Drew swapped out his starting five for a bigger lineup in hopes of finding the right combination.

The Commodores rallied in the second half, including one spurt with 6-8 reserve Clevon Brown at center. But there is still little precedent for what works.

Against Florida, Vanderbilt went with a small lineup for more than 22 of the game’s 40 minutes.

But when traditional post players like Brown and 6-10 Djery Baptiste played most of their minutes in the first half, Vanderbilt was outscored 12-4 in the paint. In the second half, the Commodores outscored Florida 20-14 in the paint, mostly with Roberson at center in a small lineup.

Individually, Roberson is having a career year while playing out of position, averaging a team-high 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds. But as a team, Vanderbilt has no wins over teams in the RPI top 75.

Tougher task against Alabama

Drew hopes using Roberson at center will be manageable on defense and give Vanderbilt a favorable matchup on offense.

“Where can you create an opportunity or a mismatch on offense?” Drew said. “Last year, (center Luke Kornet) was able to do that for us. We’ve just had a hard time getting that mismatch or that opportunity this year.”

Alabama’s frontcourt will offer a bigger challenge for Roberson, Baptiste, Brown or whomever the Commodores put in the paint.

On Saturday, the Crimson Tide won 79-57 over No. 6 Texas A&M, which touts arguably the SEC’s best frontcourt. And from there, Vanderbilt consistently will face bigger lineups in SEC play.

Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.